


vessel

by VeteranKlaus



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Consent Issues, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Non-Consensual Possession, Possession, Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25649929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeteranKlaus/pseuds/VeteranKlaus
Summary: They have been back in 2019 for a week when a thought hits Diego. "Ben?" He says.His brother lifts his head, blinking Klaus' green eyes at him. "Mhmm?""Where's Klaus?"
Comments: 138
Kudos: 1307
Collections: The Umbrella Academy





	vessel

**Author's Note:**

> Said in the summary, but I'll say it again:  
> SEASON 2 SPOILERS.
> 
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .
> 
> Aka, Diego tells Ben to stay in Klaus' body, and he does, and I have Problems with it. Ben leaves Vanya and lives, and the Sparrow Academy doesn't exist in this AU because I said so and they need a break. They went back to the day of Reginald's funeral.

They have been in in 2019 for a week when a thought hits Diego.

They are sitting at the dinner table, a meal set out for one of them. Everyone’s there, and everyone would seem normal, right down to the single empty chair that has always been there for years, if only it were the same empty chair.

Klaus’ chair is empty. In Ben’s chair sits what _looks_ like Klaus, but who they know is not Klaus. 

It was one hell of a revelation, learning that Ben can possess Klaus - and others, according to how he managed to calm Vanya down - but it has been incredibly, incredibly good to get their brother back, even if he speaks with Klaus’ voice and looks like Klaus. It is obvious it’s still Ben. Klaus doesn’t say please and thank you unless he wants something, Klaus doesn’t giggle like Ben does, Klaus doesn’t cling onto them with the desperation of a man who’s been dead for nearly two decades and is desperate to hug his siblings. Despite the body, it is very obvious that it isn’t Klaus, and it was surprisingly easy to be able to see Klaus’ body and associate it with Ben simply by the way he walked by; they saw Klaus’ face and greeted it with a _hi, Ben._

It is just incredibly nice to get their brother back, to be able to hug him again, to see how his face lights up every time he eats something, and the endearingly sad and yet sweet things he does since he forgot he couldn’t, or could, do since being dead. Diego has caught him walking into walls multiple times, walking into furniture, trying to get somewhere without touching anything because he forgets he can move things out of his way now, he is ecstatic after having a shower and spends half an hour laughing and grinning to them all, talking about showering.

Diego has also seen Ben make himself sick with how much he eats, wanting to try everything and not quite knowing how to pace himself or how much is too much; he’s seen Ben have a panic attack over a paper cut, because he isn’t used to feeling pain; he’s seen Ben pass out at the dinner table because he forgets he has to sleep.

It’s a struggle, and sometimes it is sad because it just reminds them of his death, but he’s getting better with time.

“Ben?” He says, and his brother’s head snaps up, along with everyone else’s. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, swallowing, and blinks over at him with Klaus’ green eyes.

“Mhmm?” He says, offering a smile that makes Diego’s heart skip a beat because it’s _Ben_ , it’s undeniably _Ben_ in front of him. He swallows around the sudden hesitation in his throat, pushes it aside to ask his question.

“Where’s Klaus?” He asks.

Because Ben can possess Klaus. They found that out a few days before the second apocalypse, nearly two weeks ago. Diego certainly doesn’t have a problem with Ben possessing Klaus if it means that he gets to see his brother again, but it hits him, all of a sudden, that he has not seen Klaus - the real Klaus - since he found Ben possessing him at his cult. Not once.

“Huh?” Says Ben, blinking in confusion. His head tilts to the side in a very Ben gesture, something Klaus doesn’t do. “Oh, I mean, he’s still _here_. He’s just in the backseat,” he says, tapping his - Klaus’ - head and smiling. 

“Right,” says Diego, pressing his lips together. He doesn’t know what else to say - doesn’t know how to bring this conversation up, or if he even wants to. 

God, he missed Ben so much, and the idea of him going away terrifies him and he knows it would be incredibly rude to bring this up, that all of his siblings would be offended, but it just doesn’t sit quite right with him. He isn’t even entirely sure what isn’t sitting right, but he feels uncomfortable and guilty, all of a sudden.

“He’s… okay?” He ends up asking awkwardly. Ben quirks an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, of course he’s okay,” he says. His hand twitches. In that second apocalypse week, he used to twitch and jerk a lot all of the time, as if he was fighting with himself, but towards the end of the week it happened less and less. Since they got back to 2019, he has hardly seen it happen, if at all. He wonders, suddenly, if that was Klaus doing that. 

“Spit it out, Diego,” Five says, rolling his eyes.

“What?” He asks defensively.

“You look constipated, which means that you’re thinking too hard about something. Just say it already.”

Diego stares at his plate with a frown. He’s sure Klaus is okay, he’s sure Ben and Klaus discussed this possession before, and he’s partly convinced that Klaus and Ben can talk to one another in their shared head whilst sharing the body, so Klaus is probably entirely fine and Diego is going to sound horrifically rude. 

But he looks at Ben, conflict tearing him up. Just as he’s getting tempted to drop the subject, he sees it; hardly noticeable, and probably even nothing, but Ben’s face twitches ever so slightly; a tug of his lips, twitch of his nose. 

“I mean, I was just thinking…”

“Impressive,” mutters Five, going back to his dinner. Diego glares at him.

“We haven’t seen Klaus in a while, right? Like, not even once.” He shrugs, avoiding everyone’s gaze. 

“What’d you mean?” Luther asks with a frown. The time alone did him good, he thinks; he’s less argumentative, willing to hear Diego out more and put more effort into hearing Diego out more even if he the others aren’t. Diego appreciates that, especially when Allison says, frowning,

“You can’t just ask Ben to leave.”

“That’s not what I’m saying!” Diego defends. “It’s just - it’s been nearly two weeks, you know? Just think about it-”

“Diego-”

“No, no,” says Ben hurriedly. “I get it.” He smiles at Diego, genuine and sweet and _Ben_ , and he feels horribly guilty all of a sudden. “It’s fine, honestly. Plus, it’s not that hard to possess him again anyway, and I’ll still be here,” he reassures them, and he nods at Diego, puts his cutlery down and leans back in the chair.

His eyes slipped closed and then he begins to shake, like he had seen him do multiple times before, early on when he was possessing him. He jerks, and then his eyes blow open, his face falls from that peaceful happiness Ben has.

“Klaus?” Diego asks. Klaus, because this is definitely not Ben, looks around at them all, looks at nearby air, then down at his hands, flexing them on the table. Then he slams backward, falling over the back of his chair as it hits the ground, and he scrambles to put distance between himself and everyone else. 

No one expecting this response from their brother, they all jump up onto their feet, worried there’s something wrong. Klaus’ back hits a cabinet full of china and it all rattles inside and he flinches. His hands run up and down his own thighs, then grasp at his upper arms, and then throw out in a gesture to keep everyone from coming closer.

“Don’t,” he rasps, gasping as if he’s breathless. “Don’t, don’t touch me, don’t touch me-”

“Klaus?” Asks Vanya, frowning in concern. “Klaus, what’s wrong? We-”

“Don’t touch me!” He blurts, eyes wide and stuck on the air. 

“Hey,” says Diego, crouching down in front of him but coming no closer. “Hey, Klaus, look at me, no one’s going to touch you, okay? Look at me - what’s wrong, Klaus?” 

Klaus doesn’t look any more reassured at all, breathing too fast and looking rapidly between them and the air. He doesn’t seem to like how he suddenly realises how he’s cornered himself, all of his siblings between him and the exit.

“Ten minutes,” he whispers. “I said _ten minutes_ \- don’t! Don’t move!” 

“Klaus…” murmurs Diego, hands spread. “Just tell us what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” Klaus echoes incredulously, barking a sharp, hostile laugh. “ _What’s wrong_ ? I said ten minutes! You could possess me for _ten minutes_ , not two fucking weeks! Jesus Christ, what the fuck, Ben, what the fuck-”

“Klaus, what do you mean?” Asks Vanya, frowning. She inches a little closer, and Klaus doesn’t yell at her to get back, so she gets a little closer again. She outstretches a hand in a gentle offering, but Klaus flinches back and hits his head off the cabinet behind him, so she drops it. His eyes bounce back to where he assumes Ben is standing and he swallows.

“I - he wanted to talk to someone,” he says. “So I let him possess me so he could. And then he… never left. I told you ten minutes! You wouldn’t leave!”

“Klaus?” Asks Diego, frowning. “Did you not… let Ben possess you?” Klaus pauses, stumbling over his words.

“No, I mean - not the first time, but I - I did mind! I didn’t say you could! - but he wanted to talk to someone, not for - two fucking _weeks_ , Ben, come on! I tried! What did you think I was doing when I tried to throw you out! But surprise, Ben, I can’t wait until you’re asleep to do it, and it’s harder to get you out than it is for you to come in, and you just - you kept shoving me down.”

Klaus closes his eyes, shakily exhaling and wrapping his arms around himself. His face twists and his eyes snap back up to the air. “I gave up,” he says, and probably intends it to come out sharp and bitter, but it comes out croaked and small. His eyes flit around his siblings, listening to Klaus’ half of the conversation, guts sinking lower. 

“What do you mean?” Luther asks, when no one else seems willing. Klaus lets out a harsh sounding laugh.

“I tried to kick him out,” he says, glaring at the air. “But it’s hard to do, and you… all of you were happier with Ben here,” he states. He looks away, shuffles a bit, face falling. “None of you cared. I saw it all, you like Ben being here better than me, but you didn’t - you didn’t even say anything. You told Ben to keep doing it!” 

“Klaus-” Diego tries, but falters. He had said that. He had been the one that told Ben to keep possessing him, and though the others hadn’t said it like he had, they had all definitely hinted it, had all been ecstatic with Ben being back and until today, they hadn’t said anything about Klaus. Had asked about him a couple of times, the first day or two of returning, and before they time travelled back, but were happy with the fact that Klaus was still there. 

“Don’t,” Klaus snaps shakily. With a cautious glance at his siblings, he uses the cabinet behind him to pull himself up onto his feet. “You didn’t want me back, you didn’t care, you told him to keep doing it, and - when was that going to end? I thought-” He swallows, throat bobbing, staring at the air with wide eyes. “I thought that was it. You didn’t listen to me or let me out, and I thought - you never would. And you all would have liked that better - don’t! Don’t come near me! Fuck, fuck-”

“Klaus, I’m sorry,” says Diego, taking a step closer when he’s sure that the last comment was directed at Ben. “It wasn’t like that-”

“Yes it was!” Klaus cries, staring at them all. “You fucking encouraged it and you want him back. It’s _my_ body, and you took it, and you slept, and showered, and marched around in it even when I told you to stop, and you all think it would be better if I just shut up and let him, don’t you?” His hands curl into trembling fists and he fixes them all with a cold glare, inching slowly in the direction of the door. 

“Klaus,” says Allison gently, reaching out with a hand and taking a few steps closer. “We’re sorry, we didn’t think - we were just excited to talk to Ben again, and we fucked up, but can we sit down and talk about this? Figure it out?”

“Figure what out?” Klaus asks, scoffing. “There’s nothing to figure out. Fuck you - fuck you all. I’m going, unless you’re going to _force_ me to stay, right? I can hear everything when he’s possessing me, why don’t you just do it again and force me to listen to you all?”

“We don’t want to _force_ you, Klaus-”

“One of you already has,” Klaus grits out, staring at where he still assumes Ben to be. There is an agonisingly long moment of silence stretching out amongst them out, and then Klaus smiles ruefully, all sharp edges and dark eyes. “I’m going,” he repeats firmly, going to the door but keeping his eyes on them all, as if he doesn’t trust putting his back to them - and he probably really doesn’t. 

“Ben,” he says, shoulders tense. “Stay the fuck away from me, or-” A sharp inhale of breath, eyes flitting to the roof. “Stay away.”

And then he’s gone. He steps out of the kitchen, footsteps echoing until the front door slams shut and he’s gone, and Diego knows - hopes - Ben didn’t follow him. He’s gone, but he was hardly even there in the first place.

**Author's Note:**

> How we feeling, lads?


End file.
